A1 Grand Prix: Encyclopedia - A1 Grand Prix

A1 Grand Prix

A1 Grand Prix, often shortened to A1GP or simply A1, also known as the World Cup of Motorsport, is an international motor racing series, unique in the field of motorsport in that drivers compete for their country instead of a private team or constructor.

The concept was forwarded by Sheikh Maktoum Hasher Maktoum Al Maktoum, a member of the Royal Family of Dubai, in 2004. The series was confirmed and sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile and began operations in 2005. The first ever A1 Grand Prix was held at Brands Hatch Circuit, United Kingdom, on September 25, 2005.

A1 Grand Prix - Cars

A1 Grand Prix sanctions an identical car for delivery to each competing nation, with many technical restrictions as opposed to constructor-driven series like Formula One. The hope is that this will provide a level playing field for drivers to complete in, resulting in driver skill being the determining factor for success.

A1 Grand Prix - Competing countries

23 franchises were sold off to pre-chosen countries or territories from all six inhabited continents. In addition, seven unallocated franchises were made available to any other nation wanting to participate. In total, twenty five nations signed up for the inaugural A1GP season.

A1 Grand Prix - Venues

The first A1 Grand Prix Championship is being held over 11 rounds in 11 different nations, starting in Europe in September, moving on to Australia and Asia in November, Africa in January, to the Americas in February, taking in each continent before returning to Asia for the finale in China.

A1 Grand Prix - Format

Each A1 Grand Prix race meeting takes place over a three-day period. Day one (Friday) involves a practice session with each team familiarising themselves with the track. Day two (Saturday) involves a second practice session and and the qualifying sessions. Day three (Sunday) comprises two races, with points awarded for both.

A1 Grand Prix - Qualifying

Qualifying takes place from 14:00 to 16:00 local time, and consists of four 15 minute sessions. During each session, each team is allowed only three laps, an "out" lap to leave the pits and get up to speed, the "hot lap" to set the qualifying time, and an "in" lap to slow down and head back into the pits. Between each session are 10 minute breaks of inactivity, to allow for interviews, recaps, and commercial breaks.

After the qualifying session, the team's two best times are aggregated to determine the starting grid for Sunday's Sprint Race.

A1 Grand Prix - Race day

The race day format features two races.

The first race of the day is the Sprint Race, held 18 laps or 30 minutes (whichever comes first). This race begins with a rolling start, scheduled to start at 13:30 local time. In addition to the points awarded, the grid positions for the Feature Race are determined by their finishing position in the Sprint Race.

The second race, known as the Feature Race or Main Race begins at 15:00 local time, and is held over 36 laps or 60 minutes (again, whichever comes first).

A1 Grand Prix - Scoring

The same scoring system is employed for both races. The top 10 placed teams in each race are awarded points, on a decreasing scale, with the winner receiving 10 points, second place 9 points, and so on down to tenth place, who receives 1 point. In addition, one extra point is to the team which sets the fastest lap of race day - it can be achieved in either of the two races.

These points are awarded to the nation, not the driver. As a result, teams are free to change their driver from race to race, while the points they earn for their nation accumulate regardless of which driver earned them.

A1 Grand Prix - Current season

A1 Grand Prix - Management team

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "A1 Grand Prix", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki